AFR – Auto Fluorescence Retinography
A particular examination of the ocular fundus can be performed with self-fluorescence retinography. It reveals spontaneous fluorescence of the retina that is issued at various wave lengths, particularly by lipofuscin in blue light and by melanin in infrared light. Today this image can be obtained with two types of technologies.
Some retinographs have a laser scanner as light source, while others have a fundus camera. In clinical practice this method is of some use to study various diseases, such as senile atrophic and exudative macular degeneration, central serous chorioretinopathy, macular cystoid oedema, Stargardt and Best’s diseases, macular holes and choroidal nevi. Once again the examination is absolutely non-invasive and consists in acquiring photographs of the patient’s retina.